ABOUT US
John Chapman makes hand crafted
bags for travel, leisure, business and sporting activities. Our
customers appreciate the contemporary approach we bring to classic
English style and quality, as well as our personal attention to
customer service.
The company has
been established for many years in Cumbria, England. The natural
beauty of the surrounding Lake District and Borders has provided
much of the inspiration for our bags.
We are one of the last
remaining companies to make our bags exclusively in the UK in
our own workshops. We also insist on only using materials of the
highest quality, wherever possible from natural sources. Why do we
do this?
First, we want to ensure the highest possible product quality;
around 80% of the direct manufacturing cost of our bags is
accounted for by the materials which go into making the
bag.
Second, we believe our
customers like to know that their bag was made by
craftsmen and women without using harmful chemicals and in a
responsible environment.
Third, we do not make throw away
products. Customers sometimes send us their bags after many years'
hard use for us to renew or repair because they have formed a
personal bond with that bag. We can do this for
them because we make the bags ourselves, instead of
sourcing them from overseas.
You can read more about how we make
our bags, and the materials we use, below.
You can also see a
Virtual Tour Video showing our workshops, people and manufacturing
processes by following this link: Chapman
Virtual Tour
We also love to hear stories about your Chapman bags. Click
here to see further details.
Tannery Road,
Carlisle, Home of John Chapman
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All our bags are made here in our workshops
in
Tannery Road, Carlisle. The building is part of
an old industrial site dating back over three
hundred years; a living record of the region's
rich industrial heritage. We welcome visitors.
Please call us if you would like to visit the
factory. We also have a factory shop.
Chapman has a long term
commitment to
manufacturing bags in the UK. We do this
because we feel our customers want an
authentic Made in England product and because
it offers advantages such as being able to offer
a full repair and renewal service.
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Materials and
Manufacturing Processes
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Hand
Cutting
|
Patterns
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Hand
Machining
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Like a bespoke suit, the material
for each bag is
hand cut on the
premises and constructed using
traditional methods. |
We use traditional patterns
for
cutting, not computer controlled
machinery. Each bag is in some
way completely unique.
|
Our bags are machined by
hand,
producing a quite different effect
to mass produced, computer
controlled machinery.
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Bespoke
Bags
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The Chapman
Signature
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Bonded
Cotton Canvas
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We offer a bespoke
bag service
and also cater for trade and
corporate customers. See below
for further details.
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Every bag is
individually checked.
You will find a personal signature
on every bag confirming it has met
our rigorous standards.
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We spare no expense
with our
bonded cotton canvas, which is
multilayered, waterproof and
hardwearing, with a natural look
and feel. Many of the colours used
are dyed specially for us and
are unique to Chapman.
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Natural
Bonding Process
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Solid Brass
Hardware
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Hand Crafted
Saddlery
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Our cotton
canvas drill is made by
bonding 2 laters of cotton drill to a
natural latex/rubber core. We don't
use PU (Polyurethane) bonding for
this material, which research has
shown may contain carcinogenic
traces. In any event it also
becomes brittle with age.
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We use solid brass
hardware or,
where a silver finish is specified,
nickel plated brass, neither of
which pit or rust. Brass tarnishes
over time and can be polished if
you wish to retain a shiny finish.
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Many of our leather
components
require hand stitching and crafting
using traditional saddlery skills,
producing an authentic finish
unlike mass production
machinery.
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Leather
Fittings
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Cotton
Webbing
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Double
Stitched Zips
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We use English
bridle leather
fittings in one of our 3 standard
colours: Papaya, Old Australian
Nut and Dark Havana. Piping and
binding are specified in matching
leather (not vinyl).
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We use 100% cotton
military
grade webbing. The original weave
was designed to prevent
parachutes failing. It is woven on
a shuttle loom and is the best
quality such webbing obtainable.
|
Our main zips are
heavy duty
brass pieces of great reliability.
Nylon is used to avoid scratching,
for example on gun slips. These
are all double stitched for added
security.
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Company and Contact
Information
The head office of John Chapman
Limited is:
Gallery House
Tannery Road
Harraby Green Business
Park
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA1 2SS
Telephone 44 (0)1228
514514
The registered office of John
Chapman Limited is:
c/o Nexus
Solicitors
Carlton House
16-18 Albert
Square
Manchester
M2 5PE
The company registration number
of John Chapman Limited is 5721166.
